General News
19 April, 2026
Path upgrade ‘not required’
A GROUP of concerned Kurrimine Beach residents are querying council plans to extend its King Reef walking trail, saying only a small percentage of the suburb’s population were surveyed and wanted the trail extended.
The group is concerned that extending the trail might mean the extra human activity will threaten an existing cassowary habitat, turtle nesting and other sensitive elements of the local ecosystem.
“A resident southern cassowary and chick are regularly seen at the site of the proposed track,” the group said in an email sent to council through councillor Trudy Tschui (Div Three).
“The building and subsequent maintenance required of this track will compound existing pressures and increase the risk of interaction between people, dogs and the dwindling cassowary population in the Kurrimine Beach area.”
They have expressed a number of concerns, including to do with priorities surrounding community needs.
The group says in its correspondence that residents are “questioning why a project affecting an endangered regional ecosystem, cassowary habitat and the exorbitant use of public funds is being advanced on the basis of feedback from a small fraction of the community.”
It argues that in council’s 2024 Kurrimine and Cowley Beach Foreshore Management Plan, just 39 contributors in 41 submissions were taken on board.
“This figure represents a combined population of approximately 807 residents across Kurrimine and Cowley Beach – that equates to just 4.8% of the local community participating in the formal consultation,” the correspondence says.
“That’s without identifying from these 39 contributors which respondents supported the track extension as a priority for the region.
“When fewer than five percent of the community is shaping decisions that involve significant public spending, it’s fair to question whether that reflects the wider community’s priorities.”
But Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s ‘Your Say’ website indicated at the time that it was satisfied with the sample size.
“The Foreshore Management Plan Kurrimine and Cowley Beaches Your Say website received 41 contributions from 39 contributors, which is a reasonable proportion of the relevant communities and therefore a good representation of community views,” council’s comments said on the site at the time.
“The site saw a total of 302 views from 189 individual visitors.”
The residents’ group says the now scheduled King Reef Walk track extension appears to offer limited additional benefit, particularly when compared to other infrastructure that it says would serve a broader cross-section of the community.
“More facilities for our youth were explicitly identified in the council consultation, including more age-appropriate play options for children and a pump track for bicycle and scooter use,” the group says.
“If you’re a young person in Kurrimine Beach and want something to do beyond fishing, there are virtually no free council facilities available.
“The public toilets at Taifalos Park are also an example of facilities in poor condition and requiring immediate maintenance that would be of benefit to the broader community.”
The Kurrimine Beach residents’ group has also expressed concerns on previous occasions with council about illegal quad bike riding on the beach, and says such risky behaviour needs cracking down on.
The Observer has asked council for a response to the group’s concerns but has yet to receive a reply.
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